


what were the chances

by TheWriter2



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, College AU, Fluff, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, M/M, Pining, Slow Burn, Soulmates, broganes, finally a fic where i dont give lance insecurities, hunk and pidge are a blessing, kiss, klangst, please help them, they're stupid guys, well i kind of do but not the way i usually do
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-20
Updated: 2017-10-20
Packaged: 2019-01-20 09:39:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12430071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWriter2/pseuds/TheWriter2
Summary: Lance dreamed of the day he would meet his soulmate. He imagined it would be like one of the scenes from his mother's telenovelas: Lance would get swept off his feet and he and his soulmate would walk off into the sunset to live a long life filled with love.Lance would soon learn that life wasn't sunsets and romantic music.Especially when you knew the name of your soulmate and worst enemy with no way of knowing which was which.





	what were the chances

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this in less than 24 hours and I'm honestly so surprised I finished this and that it turned out as good as it is. 
> 
> Hopefully there aren't that many typos and if there are I'm sorry. 
> 
> Enjoy!!

Lance had done his research. He’d read up on the studies and had cross referenced all the data. Statistically, four in ten people had the name of their soulmate written on their dominant hand. 

Four in ten. 

Lance could work with those statistics. 

So, with forty percent certainty, Lance looked at the name on his right wrist and felt a flutter in his chest. There were days when he’d trace the bubbly red handwriting and let a smile take over his face. 

Lance was sure he’d love his soulmate. 

 

When Lance was eight, his abuela told him about soulmates. 

He had just started getting the faint marks on his wrists--the beginning of his soulmate’s name. He wouldn’t be able to read the name until after he was twelve, but the marks already fascinated him. So, inquisitive as always, Lance had asked his abuela what the marks meant, and why everyone had names written on their wrists. 

His abuela pulled little Lance into her lap and said, “ _ Mira _ ,  _ hijito _ , for everyone in the world, there is a person out there that they will spend the rest of their life with. That person is their soulmate. Your soulmate is someone who is with you through thick and thin. And they love you no matter what,” she told him. 

“But, Abuelita,” he said to her, “there are two names.”

“Ah,  _ si _ ,  _ pues _ ,” she said, “while everyone has their soulmate’s name written down, they also have their soul-nemesis’s name on their wrist. Just like there is someone you will always get along with, there will be someone you will never agree with.” 

Lance pouted, tracing his finger over the chicken scratch on his arm. “ _ Pero _ , Abuelita,” he said quietly, “how will I know which is which?” 

His abuela smiled softly at him. “You just know,  _ perico _ .” When Lance’s frown deepened, she smiled and said, “Trust me, Lance, you’ll know.” 

 

Lance was almost thirteen when his names manifested. 

He was a little late compared to most of the kids in his class, but he still shot out of bed the morning he noticed them. He flung himself into his parent’s bed, shoving his wrists in their faces. 

The first person he told (besides his parents) was Hunk. 

Hunk had manifested his names the month before (a lovely  _ Shay _ and  _ Rax _ ) and had waited anxiously with Lance for his friend’s names. That day at school, Lance had pulled Hunk aside while they were on the playground at shoved up his sleeves. 

Hunk gasped and tugged Lance’s arms closer to his face. “Oh my God, Lance,” he exclaimed, reading the names. “L-lotor and Keith.” Hunk smiled. “Any hopes as to which is which?”

Lance shrugged, bouncing on his toes. “Not really, but,” he looked around before leaning into Hunk’s ear to whisper, “I’m kinda hoping my soulmate is Keith.” 

 

Lance wasn’t sure if having one common name and one weird ass name on his wrist was a blessing or a curse. Every Keith he met sent a thrill down his spine. 

Every Keith he met left him with a bucket of disappointment and a pint of ice cream. 

Hunk assured him he’d met  _ his _ Keith soon enough. Lance would just nod and turn on a movie to get Hunk to stop talking about it. 

Lance had yet to meet a Lotor. 

He wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing. 

 

“Okay, so since it’s the first day,” Mrs. Gonzales said, “we’re going to do some self introductions. I want everyone to say their name and something no one knows about you.” She smiled at her class of bored sixteen year olds. “Alright! We’ll go down the rows, starting with you, Ms. . . .”

Lance sighed, and put his head down. Mrs. Gonzales taught Spanish 2, a class Lance had basically snuck into (his guidance counselor insisted he take a more advanced Spanish class, but Lance wanted just  _ one _ class where he knew he could take it easy and succeed). He could care less about this class, honestly speaking. His plan was to treat this class like nap time. 

Or at least it was until the kid next to him stood up to introduce himself. He cleared his throat awkwardly and tugged at his gloves (fingerless gloves, if Lance might add because  _ God _ who even wears those?). “Uh, my name is Keith Kogane,” he said, (Lance tried to ignore the flutter in his chest) “and I guess one thing no one knows about me is that I like Shakespeare.”

Lance watched, hiding his smile behind his hand, as Keith fumbled to sit down, blushing. He caught Lance’s eye and frowned.  _ ‘What _ ?’ he mouthed. Lance just shook his head and smiled. 

His gut whispered to him that this-- _ this _ \--might very well be his Keith. 

And if the statistics were right, Keith was his soulmate. 

**XXX**

Keith didn’t believe in soulmates and soul-nemesis. 

He truly, deeply didn’t believe that they existed. And if they did, he was sure they weren’t as great (or as bad) as everyone made them out to be. 

After all, his parents were supposedly soulmates. And for the first six years of his life he believed that his parents were the kind of soulmates that were perfect for each other in every single aspect of their lives. 

Then his mom left. 

He was almost seven. His parents had been arguing the last few months about things he didn’t understand at the time. But Keith knew that something was wrong. Soulmates didn’t yell at each other at two a.m. 

He hoped with every fiber of his seven year old body that their bond as soulmates would prevail. 

He found his mother packing up her things a few days later. 

When she saw him standing at the door, she rushed forward, cradling Keith’s face him her hands. “Oh, sweetheart,” she whispered. “Listen to me. I love you, Keith.” She pressed a kiss to his forehead. “I love you so much, but I have to go away for a while.”

Keith gripped her shirt tightly. “How long will you be gone?” His voice wavered. 

His mother ran her hands through his hair. “I’m not sure, honey.” 

“But you’ll come back, right?” he asked. She nodded, promising she’d be back for his birthday.

As she pressed another kiss to his forehead and whispered promises of how much she loved him, Keith knew she wouldn’t be coming back. 

 

Keith’s names manifested when he was thirteen and a half. He stared at the names on his wrists for a few minutes that morning and made a promise to himself. 

He would not fall into the trap of soulmates and enemies. 

So when he got dressed that morning, he slipped on his cycling gloves, covering the pretty calligraphy and caps-lock handwriting from the world.

 

Keith felt his class’s eyes pierce into him as he introduced himself. He tried to stay calm, reassuring himself that it just felt like they were staring. “Uh, my name is Keith Kogane,” he said, wincing at the waver in his voice, “and I guess one thing know one knows about me is that I like Shakespeare.”

He sat down quickly, his heart ramming against his chest. He fiddled with the straps of his gloves. The person behind him stood and introduced themselves. Keith took a deep breath to steady his breathing. 

Then he felt it. 

Someone was staring at him. 

He looked to his left and met striking blue eyes.  _ Almost like the blue of _ \--No. He wouldn’t go there. But Keith found himself staring into those eyes, the same way one finds themselves unable to look away from the majesty occurring on stage.

_ ‘What _ ?’ he mouthed to the boy.

The boy just shook his head and smiled at Keith before putting his head on his desk again. 

Keith didn’t believe in soulmates. 

But in that moment he almost wished he did. 

 

Keith spent the rest of the year with an itch in the side of his head. The boy--Lance, he found out--wouldn’t stop staring at him. It made Keith uncomfortable at first, but he soon learned to ignore it. Especially after he figured out that there was nothing he could do to stop the kid. 

He found out that year that Lance was fluent in Spanish. They could be in the middle of class (or a ‘Lance stares at Keith for no reason’ session), and despite not paying any attention at all, Lance could answer every question Mrs. Gonzales threw at him. 

Keith kind of respected him for that. 

But halfway through the year, Mrs. Gonzales had enough. From what Keith heard, she had insisted to the administration that Lance needed to be transferred to a higher level Spanish class where he would be challenged. The administration agreed, and in January Keith’s itch disappeared. 

He didn’t have another class with Lance after that. 

And just before senior year, he and his dad had to move. 

Keith didn’t believe in soulmates because if there were such a thing, he would have seen Lance again. 

**XXX**

Lance was nineteen and he still hadn’t met Lotor. 

Lance was nineteen and he hadn’t seen Keith in three years. 

He was starting to think that he would never find  _ his _ Keith. And for a while he wondered if that was a good thing. Maybe the statistics weren’t in his favor and his Keith would be his soul-nemesis. Maybe he was better off not meeting his Keith. 

And Lance had started to believe that as he and Hunk moved into their college dorm. He was even more inclined to believe that as they made their way to the mess hall for dinner. And he was about to engrave the idea on his heart when it happened--he saw him. 

There, walking towards him like a telenovela star, was Keith. Keith with his silly hair and tacky fingerless gloves. Keith, who puberty treated well.

As Keith passed him, Lance shot out his hand, grabbing Keith by the elbow. “Hey man,” he said with a friendly smile.

Keith turned and frowned at him. “Uhm, I’m sorry, but who are you?”

The words were like a slap to the face. 

Lance faltered, his smile slipping from his face for half a second. “Sorry,” he said, his voice loyal to his mask, “I guess I had the wrong person.” 

Keith gave him a once over before tugging his arm from Lance’s grasp and trudged forward. Lance watched him leave, his face falling with every step Keith took. Lance knew, deep down, that this Keith was his Keith. 

He figured the statistics were right after all. 

Keith wasn’t his soulmate. 

Keith was his soul-nemesis. 

Because what kind of person would forget their soulmate?

**XXX**

Keith leaned against his door, sighing deeply. Traversing the mess hall was exhausting. There were too many people for his taste. He rubbed his arm where the stranger had grabbed him. There was something Keith found . . . unsettling about the boy. 

He thought back on it as he sat down at his desk. He frowned as he thought about it, opening his granola bar. Then it hit him--those eyes. 

He stood up, his heart hammering in his chest.  _ Just like it did the day we met _ , his traitorous brain added. He made to sprint out the door when Shiro entered. 

“Whoa there,” he said, “where are you going in such a rush?”

Keith shook his head. “I-I’m not entirely sure.” 

Shiro frowned and studied Keith’s face. “You okay, bro?”

“Huh?” Keith started. “Oh, yeah I’m fine. It’s nothing. I’ll probably never find him.”

“Find who?” Shiro asked, moving them so they sat on Keith’s bed. 

Keith shrugged. “No one, really. Just this guy I knew in high school.”

Shiro nodded, letting a companionable silence fall upon them as Keith shuffled through his things. He nudged Keith with his shoulder. “Hey, wanna get some takeout and watch a movie? To celebrate you moving into your dorm?”

“Sure,” Keith replied. He smiled as Shiro started suggesting places to order from, but something at the back of his mind urged him to remember Lance. 

It urged him to  _ do _ something about Lance. 

**XXX**

Lance tried not to be bummed out about realizing he wasn’t a four in ten, but he was a romantic at heart. He remembered all the telenovelas he would stay up watching with his mom and older sisters. He remembered how the leads would meet. How romantic it was. 

He had hoped that he’d had that with Keith. 

But life goes on, as Hunk liked to remind him. So he got ready for his first physics class of his college career, optimistic about the future. 

Lance just forgot how much the future liked to mess with him. 

Because sitting in the third row of his lecture hall was Keith. 

Their eyes met (because of course they would in this telenovela), and before Lance did something stupid, he tore his eyes away and rushed to sit down in the fourth row of the hall. He flung his bag to the ground and groaned into his hands, asking God why he was this cruel. 

“Hey, whoa there. You seem upset,” a voice said from Lance’s left. 

Lance lifted his face from his hands and turned to the stranger. He was attractive and Lance was taken by the kindness he saw in his eyes. “Yeah,” he whispered. “It’s . . . it’s been a rough few days.” 

The stranger nodded. “I can imagine.” 

They stared at each other for a few minutes before Lance shook his head. “I’m Lance by the way,” he said, extending his hand to the stranger. 

They shook hands, and Lance shivered at the tingle he felt. The stranger smiled and said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lance. I’m Lotor.” 

Lance’s heart skipped a beat. 

Because if Keith was Lance’s soul-nemesis, then he had just met his soulmate. 

 

“I can’t stand him, Hunk!” Lance exclaimed. “He thinks he’s so much better than all of us and is  _ constantly _ one upping me.”

“Are you sure you’re not overreacting?” Hunk said, looking up briefly from his paper.

Lance shot up from his bed. “ _ Me? Overreacting? _ I would never.” 

“Mhm, yeah okay,” Hunk said, returning his attention to his paper. “Need I remind you of Lisa in ninth grade?”

Lance blanched. “We agreed never to speak of that again. Besides, this is different. Keith is my soul-nemesis, Hunk.”

Hunk sighed. “And you’re sure of that? You were convinced a few years ago that he was you soulmate.”

“Yes! Hunk, haven’t you been listening to what I’ve been saying?” Lance asked. “I have to beat him.” 

“If that’s what you want, Lance,” Hunk said. 

Lance’s phone buzzed from his desk. “Oh, that must be Lotor,” he said. “We’re going to take a tour of the science labs on campus, so I’ll see you later.” 

As Lance had one foot out the door, he heard Hunk ask, “Hey, when are you going to tell Lotor he’s your soulmate?”

“Soon,” Lance promised. “As soon as I’m sure.”

 

LIfe sure liked throwing drama Lance’s way because about two months into their physics course, Professor Coran decided it was time to assign lab groups. Normally, this would be no big deal for Lance. He was a people person and could work with anyone. 

Anyone that is except Keith. 

So of course his lab group consisted of Keith and Lotor. 

The two names on Lance’s wrists. 

He was tempted to ask his professor if he could change groups, but Lotor seemed so excited at the idea of being able to work with Lance that he just  _ melted _ and wondered innocently ‘How bad could it be?’

The answer? Bad. Terribly, world-endingly bad.

He and Keith argued over everything. And when they weren’t arguing, they were ignoring each other in favor of doing some part of the lab  _ their _ way. Lance honestly wasn’t sure how he was passing the class. 

Or why Lotor bothered to stay in their group. 

But Lance was sure that it was because they were soulmates. 

**XXX**

Keith was irked. 

He couldn’t stand the fact that he and Lance couldn’t seem to get along. No matter what he did, they always seemed to argue. If he believed in soul-nemesis, then he’d be tempted to say that he was Lance’s. 

But as tempted as he was to say that, there was someone else vying for the position: Lotor. 

Keith absolutely  _ hated _ Lotor. 

He hated how Lotor sneered at him when Lance agreed with him. 

He hated how Lotor rolled his eyes when Keith suggested something to the group. 

He hated Lotor’s relationship with Lance. 

Keith knew there was something there. He saw the linger touches and the heartfelt gazes. But he also saw how Lotor looked at Lance when he knew Lance wasn’t looked. There was pity and pride in those eyes. And something else that just simply unsettled Keith. 

Regardless, he hated Lotor. 

And if he had to choose anyone to be his soul-nemesis, it would be Lotor. 

**XXX**

“How do I look?” Lance asked, twirling around before Hunk. 

Hunk glanced up from his phone and smiled. “Sexy, but not like you’re trying too hard. I mean, sure you’re trying, but it’s almost effortless.”

Lance tugged at his lab coat. “You really think I make Einstein look sexy?”

Hunk laughed. “ _ Yes _ , Lance, you do,” he said. “Now calm down, everything will be fine.” 

“You’re right,” Lance said, taking a deep breath. “So here’s my plan.” Hunk nodded, shifting forward on his bed. “Lotor and I are going to Shiro’s party. While we’re there, I’m going to tell him he’s my soulmate, he’ll tell me I’m his, and then we’ll make out like the sun won’t rise again.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Hunk said. 

Lance’s phone buzzed in his pocked. “Oh! That must be him,” he said, checking his phone. “Yep, he’s waiting downstairs.” 

“Have fun,” Hunk called.  
“Thanks, you too, buddy!”

 

Shiro’s house was packed with people. Lance had never been to such a large party before, but he was looking forward to what the night would bring. 

He and Lotor entered, greeted their hosts (an encounter that left Lance with a huge smile on his face because Shiro was his  _ idol _ ), and entered the fray. Before long, Lance was swept away by the energy of the party, dancing and singing with other party goers. 

After what felt like hours (but he would find out later was only about forty minutes), Lotor pulled him off the dancefloor. “Alright, I think you need a break, babe.” 

Still buzzing from the atmosphere of dancing, Lance drew Lotor close. “I need to tell you something,” he said over the music. 

Amusement danced in Lotor’s eyes. “Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Lance answered. “I think you’re my soulmate.”

Lance watched as Lotor faltered, his smile flickering for a moment. Lance grabbed Lotor’s hands and smiled. Later, Lance would realize Lotor glanced behind him before smiling back. Lotor drew them closer, and Lance felt the universe focus on them. The music faded away and it was just him and Lotor. 

And then they kissed. 

There weren’t any fireworks or angelic choruses. In fact, it was like any other kiss Lance had had in high school, awkward and little underwhelming. Lance had hoped his kiss with his soulmate would be a little more exciting. 

When they broke the kiss, Lance smiled, trying to mask the disappointment he felt. Lotor squeezed his hand. “I’m going to get something to eat, and then we can talk about this more, okay?”

Lance nodded and watched Lotor leave. He sighed, leaning against a couch. He had been so certain Lotor was his soulmate, but his heart began to whisper doubts into his ear. That kiss hadn’t screamed  _ soulmate. _

And if Lance had been wrong about Lotor, then that meant he had been wrong about Keith, too. 

He wasn’t sure if he was up to entertaining  _ that _ particular idea at the moment. 

“Hey,” a sultry voice greeted him. Lance turned to see a woman had come up beside him. “You seem sad over here by yourself. Did something happen?”

Lance shrugged. “I’m just trying to figure some stuff out.” 

The woman nodded, tracing a finger up Lance’s arm. “I can understand that. What if I offered to clear some things up for you?” she asked, batting her eyelashes at him. 

Lance blushed. “Oh, I’m actually with someone. Thank you though.”

“Oh, I’m sure they won’t mind,” she said, tracing circles onto Lance’s shoulder. “Come on, life is so  _ short _ , darling.” 

“N-no really, I don’t want to,” Lance insisted, backing up as the woman pressed closer to him. His eyes darted to the crowd around them, hoping Lotor would come back soon. His eyes caught on someone in the crowd and relief rushed through his system as they made their way toward him. 

**XXX**

Keith wouldn’t have come to Shiro and Matt’s party if his brother hadn’t insisted upon it. Keith didn’t even bother to dress up, certain he would just pop in, say hi, and then leave to watch the Halloweentown movies in his dorm. He wandered aimlessly around Shiro’s house, trying to find him amid the crowds. 

That was when he saw them. 

They stood behind Shiro’s couch, smiling lovingly at each other and Lance was saying something that seemed important. Keith felt his chest constrict as they leaned closer. 

Then he noticed Lotor glance over Lance’s shoulder. He followed Lotor’s gaze to see a woman standing across the room, her arms crossed and tears in her eyes. 

Keith looked back in time to see them kiss. 

And it felt like Keith’s world was crumbling around him. 

He stared at them for a few moments later, sure that his devastation is plain on his face. He watched Lotor step away from Lance and head toward the woman who had witnessed the kiss as well. He watched Lance’s smile fall from his face as he chewed on his lip. Keith was about to turn away to leave when he saw a woman come up to Lance. His eyes widened as he realized what this woman wanted from Lance--and how Lance wanted anything but this. 

And his feet were moving before he had anytime to think.

He came up on Lance’s other side and wrapped an arm around his waist, tugging him away from the woman. “Hey, babe, sorry I took so long. Can you believe that they don’t have any club sodas in this house?” he said. He gave the woman a once over, pride swelling in his chest as her face fell. “I’m sorry, who are you?”

The woman shook her head. “No one. I’ll just go,” she said. Keith kept his arm around Lance’s waist until he lost sight of the woman’s head in the crowd. Stepping away from Lance, he said, “Hey, are you okay?”

Lance blinked and stared at Keith for a moment before replying, “Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I just need some air.” 

“Yeah, of course,” Keith said. “Follow me.” Grabbing Lance’s wrist, he lead Lance to Shiro’s back patio where the air was cool and quiet. Keith watched as Lance took a shaky breath. “You okay?”

Lance nodded. “Yeah, I will be.”

They stood there in the silence of the night, simply enjoying each other’s company for once. Keith wanted to stop time and live in this moment forever. 

But of course, the universe wouldn’t even gift him a few more companionable moments with Lance. At that moment, the door to the party slammed open. Keith and Lance turned to face the newcomers. 

Keith had never hated anyone more. 

Because through the door, came Lotor, locking lips with the woman Keith had seen watch Lance and Lotor kiss that night. 

Lance flinched beside Keith. 

Following his impulses again, Keith pulled Lance passed the couple and through the throng of party goers until the stood on Shiro’s front lawn. Keith felt Lance’s hand tremble and looked up in time to watch a tear make its way down Lance’s smooth cheek. He would have reached up to wipe the tear away, but Lance tore his wrist from Keith’s grasp and scrubbed furiously at his face. 

“Thanks again,” Lance croaked. “I-I’m going home now.” 

Keith could only nod mutely as he watched Lance trudge away, his arms wrapped around him middle. 

Keith didn’t believe in soulmates. But in that moment he knew that soul-nemesis were real. 

He ripped the velcro off of his right glove and tugged it off, glaring at the purple calligraphy that stained Lotor’s name onto his skin. 

**XXX**

Hunk rubbed circles onto Lance’s back a week after Halloween. “How’re you feeling, buddy?” he asked softly. 

“Terrible,” Lance muttered into his pillow. He sat up and gave Hunk a hopeless look. “Neither of his names were mine, Hunk. H-he was just using me to get Acxa back.” 

“Oh, Lance,” Hunk murmured, pulling his friend into a tight hug. 

Lance hiccuped back a sob. “I just--Hunk, I thought he was the one.”

Hunk squeezed him tighter, murmuring comforting words before he said, “I know, buddy. But life doesn’t always work out the way we want.” 

Lance nodded. “I know. But . . . Hunk, if he wasn’t my soulmate that means he  _ has _ to be my soul-nemesis. And if he is, then that means . . . .”

“Are you sure?”

“There’s no other way,” Lance whispered. “I’m scared, Hunk. I mean, the nicest thing we’ve done for each other is when he helped me out that night. How are we supposed to . . . you know . . .  _ that _ if we can’t get along?”

Hunk pulled away to look his friend in the eye. “Lance, don’t overthink this. LIfe might not work out the way we want, but it  _ will _ work out. Trust me.” 

Lance nodded, trying to ignore the knot in his stomach. 

 

Lance spent the walk to his physics lab glaring at the purple calligraphy on his left wrist. He felt the lead in his tummy grow heavier with every step he took toward the lab. He wasn’t ready to face Lotor again. 

He entered the lab and immediately locked eyes with Keith. Lance felt his cheeks heat up as something somersaulted in his chest. “Hey,” he softly as he stepped up to the table. 

“Hey, to you too,” Keith replied. “Uhm, Professor Coran came up to me a few minutes ago. Turns out Lotor asked to switch lab groups with someone, so we’re getting someone new today. I think their name was Prig or something?”

Relief crashed through Lance, his shoulders sagging. “Oh thank God,” he whispered to himself. Lance drummed his fingers on the table. “So what did you say our new lab partner’s name was?”

“I’m actually not sure,” Keith said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “I, uh, didn’t exactly hear Professor Coran right.”

Lance shrugged. “I guess we’ll find out soon enough.” 

Someone cleared their throat behind him. Lance turned around the see what he assumed was their new lab partner. “Are you Lance and Keith?”

“Yup, that’s us,” Lance replied, plastering a smile on his face. 

“Great. My name’s Pidge and I’ll be taking command of this lab group now,” Pidge declared. 

Lance and Keith blinked. “Uh, excuse me?” Keith asked. 

Pidge nodded to them. “Don’t worry. Under my leadership, we’ll never fail a lab. Just follow my instructions, and you’ll be fine.” 

Lance exchanged a look with Keith who just shrugged. Lance sighed, an amused smile flickering on his face. He supposed this was better than dealing with Lotor. 

 

Pidge had been right. Under their guidance, Lance and Keith worked efficiently on their labs and their average in the class skyrocketed. And soon Lance found himself genuinely enjoying Keith’s presence.

However with every moment they spent growing closer, Lance grew more and more confused. He was afraid what had happened with Lotor would happen again. He’d fall for Keith and get his heart broken because they weren’t soulmates. 

He didn’t think he could bear losing Keith like that. 

 

Lance was jolted from his thoughts as Keith dropped his textbook on the table. “Sorry,” he winced.   
“You’re not really sorry,” Lance scoffed, moving some of his books so Keith had more room. 

Keith shook his head. “No, I am,” he insisted. Lance nodded and returned his attention to his homework. “Uhm, are you okay?” Keith asked suddenly. 

“What do you mean?” Lance asked, smiling politely. 

Keith ducked his head down. “I just--you looked sad before I can over. Is everything okay?”

Lance twirled his pencil around in his hand. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just thinking about how naive I was.” 

“You weren’t naive,” Keith said softly. “You believed there was something there and followed your feelings.” 

Lance scoffed. “And look where that got me.”

Keith hummed, tapping his pencil against his paper. He took a deep breath before he recited,  _ “Why should my heart think that a several plot which my heart knows the wide world’s common place? Or mine eyes seeing this, say this is not, to put fair truth upon so foul a face? In things right true my heart and eyes have erred, and to this false plague are they now transferr’d.” _

Lance smiled. “Sonnet 137.” Keith nodded. Lance’s smile grew as memories flew past him. He laughed softly. “Something no one knew about you: you liked Shakespeare.”

He looked up in time to see Keith’s face redden profusely. Keith scratched the back of his neck with his pencil’s eraser. “Yeah, I remember being so nervous that day in Mrs. Gonzales’ class,” Keith said. He gave Lance a quiet smile. “I also remember you staring at me all first semester.” 

Lance sputtered. “Yeah, well, with a mullet like that who woul--” He stopped, his heart pounding in his chest. “You remembered me.” 

Keith rolled his eyes. “Of course I remembered you.” 

“So you lied to me?!” Lance yelled. He ignored the glares of other students as he continued, “That day in the mess hall, you said you didn’t know who I was. Were you lying?”

“No!” Keith defended. “That day I--I really didn’t recognize you. But!” he exclaimed when Lance almost got up to leave. “I remembered you when I got back to my dorm. I-I would have gone to find you and apologize, but my brother came in and i just . . . didn’t.” 

Keith fumbled with his gloves. “I didn’t think I’d find you.” 

Lance leaned back in his chair and sighed. “Well, we got here, didn’t we?” 

Something in Lance’s chest jumped as he watched Keith’s face brighten at his words. 

He was officially screwed. 

 

The more time Lance spent with Keith, the more he was convinced he was part of that forty percent. But he had been wrong before, and he was afraid of that heartbreak. 

That didn’t stop him from hanging out with Keith more and more. 

They were in Keith’s dorm, studying for a physics test. Lance had turned on some crap daytime drama for some background noise. He watched Keith study, his pencil between his teeth, eyebrows scrunched together, his hair tied back. Lance was tempted to take a photo. 

Instead he flopped down next to Keith and sighed. “I’m bored,” he whined. 

“I Bored, I’m Keith,” Keith replied. 

Lance swatted at him. “Shut up,” he said. “You should take a break. It’s been, like, two hours.” 

Keith stretched and looked down at Lance. “You’re right.”

Keith leaned over Lance to grab his cup of water, giving Lance a huge whiff of his body odor (which wasn’t as gross as Lance expected). As Keith sipped from his water, Lance listened to the TV. “What do you think about soulmates?” he asked suddenly. 

Keith made a mild choking sound from above Lance and set his water down. “Soulmates?” he croaked. “I guess I’m not a huge fan of them.” 

Lance sat up. “Why not?”

“I guess,” Keith started, fiddling with the bottom of his left glove. “I guess it’s because of my parents. They were soulmates, but they weren’t happy with each other. My mom left us when I was seven. I guess after that I didn’t want to believe my parents were supposedly perfect for each other and it still didn’t work out.” 

Lance nodded. “I get that,” he said, squeezing Keith’s knee. “But there are a bunch of soulmates out there that  _ are _ happy. That love each other. Like my grandparents. They met when they were fourteen, just a year after their names manifested, and have been together since.” 

Keith smiled weakly. “I know. I guess I’m just afraid of it not working out.”

“Is that why you hide your names?”

Keith nodded. 

Lance rubbed Keith’s arm. “When you meet them, Keith, they’ll love you. I’m certain of it.”

“Thanks, Lance,” he said softly. 

Lance smiled, ignoring the pain in his chest. 

 

Thanksgiving rolled around before Lance even knew it. Usually he was excited for Thanksgiving and all the food his family would have laid out. But this year he was tempted to spend Thanksgiving on campus. With Keith.

But Lance had already promised his mother he’d be home the day after classes ended. So that’s where Keith found him, waiting outside their dorm for a taxi. 

“So when are you coming back?” Keith asked casually. 

Lance shrugged. “A couple days after Thanksgiving, probably.” 

Keith nodded. “Cool, cool.”

Lance glanced at him from the corner of his eyes. “You good, buddy?”

“Me? Yeah, no I’m great,” Keith insisted. 

“Okay, sure.”

Finally, a taxi pulled up before Lance. With Keith’s help, he loaded his suitcase into the trunk of the taxi. “Alright,” Lance said. “I’ll see you in about a week, maybe less?”

Keith stared at him for a moment before shaking his head. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll see you then,” he said. 

Awkwardly, Lance opened his arms for a goodbye hug. Thankfully, Keith stepped into his arms and wrapped his arms tightly around Lance’s waist. Lance felt him take a shaky breath before saying,  _ “If thou wilt leave me, do not leave me last, when other petty griefs have done their spite but in the onset come; so shall I taste at first the very worst of fortune’s might, and other stains of woe, which now seem woe, compared with loss of thee will not seem so.” _

And then he was gone. Lance watched, frozen in the crisp, fall air as he watched Keith run back inside. The taxi driver honked and Lance jolted. He rushed inside the cab, his heart pounding. 

A goodbye via Sonnet 90. 

Lance smiled as he watched the campus fly by. He smiled, but his heart was already missing Keith.

**XXX**

The Monday after Thanksgiving, Keith founding himself in Lance’s dorm, pressed into Lance’s side. Lance had invited him over to shop for Christmas gifts (with Hunk’s help, of course), but so far all they’d accomplished is establishing that Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” was the ultimate Christmas song. 

And Keith liked it. 

He liked the easy intimacy he and Lance had slipped into since Halloween. He liked joking around with Lance and sharing exasperated sighs with Hunk. He liked conspiring with Lance against Pidge and her dictatorship in labs. He liked listening to Lance sing Christmas songs at the top of his lungs just after Thanksgiving. 

And so there, pressed into Lance’s side, Keith realized something important.

He liked Lance. 

For a moment, the realization sucked all the air from his lungs. Then he thought about what this meant and Keith decided that he liked liking Lance. 

Even if Lance believed in soulmates. 

Even if Lance could meet his true soulmate any day now and leave Keith at the drop of a hat. 

Even if Lance alone could break his heart, he liked what they had. 

So Keith let his fingers ghost over Lance’s. He let his smiles linger and his eyes soften. He let his laughter bubble out of his throat. 

He gave Lance his everything. 

 

“Shiro, do you believe in soulmates?” Keith asked one afternoon. 

Shiro looked up from his book. “Of course I do, Keith. Did you forget that I met mine?”

Keith cringed. “Well, how did you know it was Matt?”

“Well,” Shiro began, “I knew because I looked at him and I could see the rest of our lives laid out before that.” 

“You weren’t scared?” Keith asked quietly. 

“A little,” Shiro confessed. “But I knew that Matt was, too. And we had nothing to lose.” Keith nodded. “Did that answer your question, bro?”

“Yeah, thanks, Shiro,” Keith answered. 

 

Despite Shiro’s reassurances, Keith was scared shitless. He was afraid Lance didn’t feel the same way. He was scared Lance would laugh at him. He was scared Lance would hate him after this. 

He knew these were all stupid fears. Lance would never laugh at anyone for their feelings, let alone hate them. So Keith knew he had no reason to be scared. 

Except that Lance believed in soulmates. 

And was still waiting for his. 

So every time the opportunity arose to confess his feelings, Keith choked. He didn’t want to risk keeping Lance from his happiness. Even if it would keep Keith from his.

 

“Hey, Keith,” Lance said after their first midterm, “you don’t have any plans for Christmas, right?”

Keith looked up from his notes. “No, I don’t.”

Lance smiled at him. “Great! You should come to my place for Christmas. My nieces and nephews would love you, trust me. And my parents are actually anxious to meet you.” 

“Why?” Keith asked, frowning. 

“Because my parents are excited to meet all my friends,” Lance said. 

“Oh,” Keith said.  _ Friends.  _ Ri ght. “I’d better not. I don’t want to intrude.” 

“No way!” Lance exclaimed. “I’m inviting you. You wouldn’t be intruding!” 

Keith pursed his lips. “Still, I shouldn’t.” 

Lance frowned. “Give me one good reason why you shouldn’t go, and I’ll drop it.” 

“All I know about your family is from your stories.” 

“Nope.” 

“Shiro might miss me.”

“He has Matt. Next.” 

Keith ground his teeth together. “I can’t go because what if you meet your soulmate over Christmas!”

Lance sat back on his heels, stunned. Keith avoided his stare, cursing himself silently. “Why should that matter?”

“It just does, okay?” Keith insisted. “So just, drop it.” 

Keith heard Lance huff. “Fine,” he said. Lance gathered his things and made his way to the door. “You know, you’re an idiot, Keith.” He slammed the door on his way out. 

Keith buried his face in his hands. “Yeah, I know, Lance.”

 

It was the first day of Christmas vacation. Keith sat at his window, watching the cold, grey sky. 

The forecast said it might snow before nightfall. 

Any other time, and Keith would be ecstatic. He loved white christmases. But this year, he wasn’t in the mood for the festivities. Quietly, he whispered to himself,  _ “The offender's sorrow lends but weak relief to him that bears the strong offence's cross.” _

Suddenly, his door swung open. “What did you do?” Hunk yelled as he entered Keith’s dorm with Pidge in tow. 

Keith groaned. “I don’t want to talk about it, guys.” 

“Good,” Hunk said, “because you’re going to do something about it.”  
“What do you want me to do?” Keith exclaimed. “Even if we were together, he’d meet his soulmate and leave me. There’s nothing I can do.” 

Pidge pushed her glasses up her nose. “You’re stupid.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Thanks, Pidge.” 

“Listen to me,” Hunk said, “you need to go after him. He likes you. You like him. What more is there to say?”

“Didn’t you hear what I said?” Keith exclaimed. 

Hunk pinched the bridge of his nose, almost growling. “Okay, Lance didn’t want me to say this, but there’s no other way,” he said. He slammed his hands on Keith’s shoulders. “Listen closely, Keith. You. Are. Lance’s.  _ Soulmate.” _

Keith blinked. “Very funny.”

“No!” Hunk yelled, throwing his hands into the air. 

“Keith,” Pidge said, “your name is on Lance’s wrist. The other name is Lotor’s. Since he hates Lotor after what happened, that means that  _ you _ are his soulmate.” 

Keith sagged against the window. “I need to tell him.” 

“Obviously,” Hunk deadpanned. 

“Has he left yet?” Keith asked, shooting up from his seat. 

Pidge tapped on the screen of her phone. “He’s waiting for a cab outside the dorm.” 

Keith was already grabbing his coat. “Thanks guys!”

**XXX**

Lance shivered in the Christmas cold. He hoped it would snow before he got on his plane. He’d never seen snow in person before. Lance took a deep breath as he leaned forward to check for any taxis. He rubbed his soulmark absentmindedly, his subconscious wishing Keith was here with him. 

_ No,  _ he told himself, _ we are mad at Keith for being so stupid and oblivious _ . 

Still, he wished someone was here with him because it was getting very cold. 

“Lance!” 

He turned to see someone running towards him. He realized that it was Keith who was bounding up to him. When Keith was a few feet away, Lance sniffed and turned toward the street. “What are you doing here, Keith?” he asked. 

Keith panted, his hands on his knees. “I wanted to say I was sorry.” 

Lance looked at him from the corner of his eye. “Sorry?”

“Yes,” Keith said, nodding. “I was stupid, but I was also scared. I don’t--I don’t believe in soulmates, Lance, but if it was you I would.” 

Lance turned to face him. “What are you saying?” he asked. 

Keith met his gaze. “I’m saying that I like you, a lot, Lance. And if I believed in soulmates, you would be mine.” Keith tugged his left glove off, showing Lance the blocky blue caps-lock name. 

Lance. 

“I-I’m your . . . ?” Lance couldn’t finish his question. Keith nodded. “Lotor is my other name,” he told Lance quietly. Lance chuckled. 

He took Keith’s hands and tugged him forward.  _ “It is an ever-fixed mark, that looks on tempests, and is never shaken; it is the star to every wandering bark, whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken,” _ Lance whispered, leaning his forehead against Keith’s. “I like you, too, soulmate of mine.” 

Lance looked into Keith’s eyes and felt the world stop. They smiled at each other as they stood in each other’s arms. Lance pressed a sweet kiss to Keith’s lips, laughing when they parted. 

And in that moment, Lance swore he was a telenovela star because he could hear the theme music that they would play in the background of this scene. 

Then it started snowing. 

Lance looked to the sky and then at Keith’s eyes, which were already beginning to be framed by snowflakes. Lance grinned and picked Keith up, spinning him around as they kissed again. 

Lance ended up missing his flight home. 

But he wasn’t particularly upset because his forty percent had become one hundred. Everything would work out fine as long as he had his soulmate in his arms.


End file.
